The best SIM card in France for expats

Learn how to get a SIM card or mobile contract in France. See the list of top mobile phone operators to pick the best one for your needs.

Jale

5 minute read

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Updated on 24 Oct 2023

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Living

If you’ve recently just moved to France or are planning to relocate to France, one of the easiest things you can do first is to get yourself a French SIM card and French phone number.

In this guide, we’ll talk about different French phone operators, which might be the best for you and your budget, and how to buy a French SIM card.

If you’re planning to live in France for an extended period, buying a French SIM card and French phone will give you a couple of advantages.

1. Using a French SIM card is cheaper than using your foreign SIM card in France, especially if you’re from a non-EU country.
2. You’ll need a French phone number to set up your utilities in your home in France.
3. You’ll need a French number for registering websites based on the local transaction.
4. With your French SIM card and phone plan, you can travel throughout the EU region with the same rates since there’s a free-roaming agreement within Europe.

Even if you’re from another EU country, it’s worth switching to a French SIM because France has one of the cheapest phone rates in Europe. So if you’re planning to stay in France for more than a year, you’re better off switching to a French phone operator.

Do I need to buy a new phone in France?

In addition to the French SIM card, you might need to purchase a phone in France if your phone runs on the CDMA network. This is usually the case if you’ve bought your phone from Japan, South Korea, Canada, or the US. Phones on CDMA network don’t run on SIM cards but phones in France do as they operate on the GSM network.

If you’re from the US or Canada, 2 of the 4 big phone operators (and their various partners) have GSM compatibility: AT&T and T-mobile. As their customer, you should ask them to unlock your phone before you relocate to France to use a French SIM card.

Depending on how long you stay in France, you can get a pre-paid (pay-as-you-go) or a phone plan. There’re many companies offering both.

Pre-Paid or Pay-As-You-Go SIM in France

Getting a pre-paid SIM (sim carte prépayée) is the easiest and quickest way to obtain a French phone number. The downside is that they’re costlier in the long run when compared to getting a phone plan. So getting a pre-paid SIM is a good option for people planning to stay in France for a short period, such as Erasmus students, seasonal workers, digital nomads, and frequent travelers.

How can I buy a French pre-paid SIM card?

You can buy a pre-paid SIM card from Orange France for as little as €2.99 or from SFR France and Bouygues Telecom for about €10. You can purchase one by showing your French residence permit at many of the telecoms shops, supermarkets, and electronics stores. You can even buy them from airport vending machines but they tend to be 4 times more expensive.

Public Wi-Fi isn’t widely available in France, especially in smaller cities. In major cities like Paris and Lyon, free Wi-Fi is available in some public locations such as libraries and cafes.

French phone plans

Getting a French phone plan contract (forfaits, abonnements) is cheaper than buying a pre-paid SIM if you’re staying in France for more than 12 months. Mobile phone plans offer better rates for making calls, sending texts, and using data, especially when combined with other bundles. You also won’t need to worry about topping up manually as the payment will be collected automatically from your account.

Alternatively, some phone companies provide rolling contracts (forfait sans engagement), which you can cancel anytime. Although these contracts are more flexible, they’re also costlier.

In need of a new phone, too? Several companies offer discounts when you buy a new phone and a phone contract from them, such as Bouygues Télécom and Coriolis. Typically, they offer 12 or 24 months fixed contracts, after which you’ll own the phone.

How do I get a French phone plan?

You’ll need to show the following documents to get a mobile phone contract in France:

1. French residence permit
2. Proof of address in France
3. French bank account details to sign up and set up future payments

France has 4 main mobile operators: Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free. Orange is France's biggest mobile phone operator, with more than 30,000 million users, followed by SFR. They offer 4G and LTE speeds in most areas and 5G in larger cities. With SFR and Free, you get 5G even if you’re pre-paid customer. Other mobile operators, such as La Poste Mobile, Lebara Mobile, Lycamobile, and Prixtel Régl, use the network of the big 4 providers. But they don’t provide as good coverage as the prominent mobile operators.

If you want the best mobile operator with extensive coverage, go for Orange, since it’s been voted as the number 1 operator in France for 12 consecutive years. They also have a lot of stores in every French city, so you won’t have trouble getting assistance. If you want cheap but still good coverage, then Free is a good choice (210 GB for only €20).

With many mobile network providers with different prices and packages available, it’s a good idea to compare them with each other beforehand. Below are the prices for basic mobile plans from Orange, SFR, Bouygues Telecom, and Free.

Regarding customer complaints, SFR has the most complaints, followed by Bouygues Telecom, Orange, and Free. Complaints about SFR are mostly about its loss of internet connection and the speed of downloads, whereas for Bouygues Telecom, Orange and Free, they’re about the bills and billing system.

When you buy your new French SIM card, there’s a high chance the salesperson won’t speak English well because they prefer speaking in French. So learning a few phrases in French will come to your rescue.

Here are some useful French phrases you can use:

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